Your friendly, positive roundup of what's happening in Regina
Friday, March 6, 2026
Happy Friday, Regina! 👋
March is here and it brought the calendar to prove it. Tonight alone you've got Pats playoff-push hockey at the Brandt Centre, the Mid-Winter Blues Festival at Darke Hall, Final Fantasy live at Conexus, and Disney's Frozen at the Globe continues its highly successful run.
Before you head out, here are five stories worth your morning read. Fresh, local, and every one of them worth feeling good about.
In today's edition:
🏒 Regina Pats : playoff spot almost locked up with 10 games to go
🎵 An instrument in every kid's hands : Regina Public Schools announces MusicCentre@Dieppe
🍳 Applebee's is back and it's bringing Saskatchewan's first IHOP with it
🎨 Saskatchewan loves its arts and the numbers prove it
📖 Regina author launches sweeping project to tell 125 Saskatchewan legends' stories
📅 Your full weekend event guide for March 6–8
📰 News & Community
🏒 Pats Are Red-Hot With 10 Games Left — Playoff Spot Almost Theirs
The Regina Pats are making a serious run at the WHL playoffs, and the momentum is real. Heading into the final stretch of the regular season, the Pats sit at 23-28-6-1 overall but have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games. Head coach Brad Herauf has pointed to health and lineup continuity as the difference-makers down the stretch.
Two first-round 15-year-old picks have been key contributors: Maddox Schultz (1st overall) and a third overall selection, both splitting time between the Pats and the Pat Canadians. The Pats haven't been to the playoffs since Connor Bedard's final season in 2023. A return to the postseason would be a massive moment for this team and for the city.
Tonight: The Pats are home at the Brandt Centre against the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 7:00 PM. Get out there.
🎵 An Instrument in Every Kid's Hands. Regina Public Schools Announces MusicCentre@Dieppe
Here's a story that genuinely deserves a standing ovation. Regina Public Schools announced last week that starting September 2026, all Grade 6 students across the division will be enrolled in a new music program and every single one of them will have an instrument in their hands. The program will be anchored at a new dedicated facility, MusicCentre@Dieppe, housed in the former Dieppe School.
Grade 6 students will receive music instruction at their home schools plus visits to the new centre, while Grade 7 and 8 students will be bused to Dieppe for a half-day session once a week. The school division will hire approximately six teachers specifically for the centre. Evenings will be open to the community for family performances and public bookings.
School board chair Adam Hicks put it simply: "It is about getting an instrument in every student's hands so they all can be equal and try it out, and all be excited at the same moment in time with their classmates. Nobody's being excluded."
Why it matters: Music education builds kids. This is a $1.4 million investment in the next generation of Regina musicians, artists, and community members and it's the right call.
🍳 Applebee's Is Back and It's Bringing Saskatchewan's First IHOP With It
Mark your calendars for March 17: Regina is getting a brand new dual-branded Applebee's × IHOP restaurant, and it's a first for the province on both counts. Applebee's is returning to the city after its last Regina location closed in early 2025, while IHOP, the International House of Pancakes, will open its first-ever Saskatchewan location at 3698 Victoria Avenue East, at the corner of Prince of Wales Drive.
The dual-branded concept from parent company Dine Brands Global lets guests order from both menus at the same time, meaning pancakes and omelettes can share the table with wings, burgers, and ribs. The format is designed to pull in families, brunch crowds, shift workers, and late-night diners with a menu that runs from early morning to last call.
Why it matters: It's not fine dining, but it doesn't need to be. New restaurants mean new jobs, new options, and new reasons to head to the east end. A March 17 opening date is something to look forward to.
🎨 Saskatchewan Loves Its Arts and the Numbers Back It Up
With the Mid-Winter Blues Festival running this weekend and Disney's Frozen at the Globe Theatre, the timing couldn't be better for this one. A new province-wide survey released this week by the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance found that 86% of Saskatchewan residents believe government should maintain or increase arts and culture funding, with 54% specifically supporting an increase. The survey of 400 residents drew from urban, rural, and northern communities across the province.
Other key findings: 86% say arts and culture are important for children and youth, and 81% say affordability is the biggest barrier to participation. The results are being shared directly with provincial decision-makers ahead of the March 18 budget, giving the arts community a powerful piece of evidence to bring to the table.
Why it matters: Regina's arts scene, including the Globe, the MacKenzie, the Artesian, Darke Hall, and dozens of smaller organizations, runs on passion and tight budgets. Knowing that the community stands firmly behind them is exactly the kind of signal that matters.
Award-winning journalist and author Joe Ralko, the Regina writer who chronicled the province's architectural history for Saskatchewan's Centennial in 2005, is back with his most ambitious project yet. Called People Matter More: The Human Fabric of Saskatchewan, the initiative will profile 125 remarkable individuals who have shaped the province's identity, timed to Saskatchewan's 125th anniversary in 2030.
The project spans five pillars: Builders and Leaders, Community and Activism, Culture and Creativity, Innovation and Discovery, and Pioneers and Pathfinders, with 25 people in each category. Ralko is clear that the goal isn't nostalgia. It's about helping future generations understand "whose shoulders they are standing on."
Figures like Nobel Prize-winning chemist Henry Taube, who grew up near Neudorf, and celebrated Saskatchewan artists Joe Fafard and Allan Sapp are among those whose stories he wants preserved for good.
Why it matters: Saskatchewan's story deserves to be told, and told well. This project is a love letter to the province from someone who has been telling its stories for nearly 50 years.
📅 Events Directory
March 6–8, 2026
🏒 Brandt Centre | 1700 Elphinstone Street (REAL District)
FRI MAR 6 — Regina Pats vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) | 7:00 PM ($) Playoff-push Friday night hockey — the Pats are 7-3 in their last 10. Bring the noise.
🏒 Co-operators Centre | 1700 Elphinstone Street (REAL District)
FRI MAR 6 — Regina Rebels (U18 AAA) Playoff Game vs. Weyburn Gold Wings | 7:45 PM ($) Postseason U18 AAA hockey — the Rebels are in it.
FRI MAR 6 – SUN MAR 8 — Ringette Saskatchewan 18+ Provincial Championships | Fri 7:45 AM–10:30 PM · Sat 8:00 AM–7:00 PM · Sun 7:00 AM–6:00 PM
A full weekend of top-level provincial ringette competition across multiple sheets.
SAT MAR 7 – SUN MAR 8 — Jim Odling U7 Jamboree | Sat 7:30 AM–8:30 PM · Sun 7:30 AM–10:30 AM
Youth hockey takes over the weekend — a great family atmosphere.
🎭 Globe Theatre | 1801 Scarth Street (MacCorquodale Place)
FRI MAR 6 — Disney's Frozen: The Broadway Musical | 7:30 PM ($)
SAT MAR 7 — Disney's Frozen: The Broadway Musical | 7:30 PM ($)
SUN MAR 8 — Disney's Frozen: The Broadway Musical | 2:00 PM ($) (Good news — the show has been extended and runs until March 22! Plenty of time to catch it.)
🎟️ globetheatrelive.com |
🎵 Conexus Arts Centre | 200 Lakeshore Drive
FRI MAR 6 — A New World: Intimate Music From Final Fantasy | 8:00 PM ($) Live orchestral and ensemble performances of music from the Final Fantasy series. A special night for fans and music lovers alike.
SAT MAR 7 — William Prince – Further From the Country | 7:30 PM ($) Juno Award-winning folk artist William Prince brings his soulful sound to Conexus, with special guest Boy Golden. One of the best live voices in Canada right now.
SUN MAR 8 — Gabby's Dollhouse Live! Presented by Walmart | 6:00 PM ($) The popular kids' show comes to life on stage — a great Sunday evening outing for the little ones.
🎵 Darke Hall · 2200 College Avenue | Bushwakker · 2206 Dewdney Avenue
31st Annual Mid-Winter Blues Festival
FRI MAR 6 — Darke Hall | 7:30 PM ($) · Wild T & The Spirit, Ollee Owens, and Big Dave McLean
SAT MAR 7 — Darke Hall | 7:30 PM ($) · Tom Lavin & The Powder Blues, Paul Kype & Texas Flood, and Terraplane
SAT MAR 7 — Bushwakker FREE Blues Showcase (19+) | 1:30 PM–4:30 PM · Free admission, no ticket needed
🎵 The Artesian on 13th | 2627 13th Avenue
FRI MAR 6 — Meet the Woodwinds! Regina Musical Club | Doors 4:30 PM · Show 5:30 PM A Friday early-evening spotlight on woodwind performers.
SAT MAR 7 — Trivial Matters of Serious Importance | Doors 6:30 PM · Show 7:30 PM (Pay-what-you-can) A Saturday night stage show with pay-what-you-can admission at the door.
🍺 Bushwakker Brewpub | 2206 Dewdney Avenue
FRI MAR 6 — First Firkin Friday | 5:30 PM The pipes and drums procession kicks off at 5:30 PM sharp. Tonight's firkin: the Blood Orange Blood Sour Ale. A Bushwakker institution — don't miss the ceremony.
💎 Turvey Convention Centre | 100 Armour Road
FRI MAR 6 – SUN MAR 8 — Regina Rock N' Gem Show | Fri & Sat 10:00 AM–8:00 PM · Sun 10:00 AM–5:00 PM ($) Gems, minerals, fossils, crystals, and jewelry vendors under one roof. A hidden gem (pun intended) of the Regina event calendar.
FRI MAR 6 — UV Exclusive: Glow-in-the-Dark Minerals | 8:00 PM–10:00 PM A special after-hours viewing of fluorescent minerals under UV light — genuinely cool.
🛒 Banner Hall, REAL District | 1700 Elphinstone Street
SAT MAR 7 — Regina Farmers' Market (Indoor) | 10:00 AM–2:00 PM Local produce, baked goods, preserves, and Saskatchewan-made goods. The outdoor season returns downtown in May — for now, Banner Hall is the spot.
🎮 RCMP Heritage Centre | 5935 Dewdney Avenue
SAT MAR 7 & SUN MAR 8 — March Mayhem: Family Movie & Crafts | Doors 11:00 AM · Movie at 1:00 PM (FREE) Screening The Bad Guys both days, plus a "Create Your Own Bad Guy" clay activity. Free admission — a perfect family afternoon.
📚 Regina Public Library – Central Branch | 2311 12th Avenue
SAT MAR 7 — Games and Puzzles for Families | 2:00–4:00 PM (FREE) A relaxed drop-in afternoon of board games and puzzles in the Central Children's area. Free, no tickets needed.
FRI MAR 6 & SAT MAR 7 — RPL Film Theatre Regular Screenings | 7:00 PM
SUN MAR 8 — RPL Film Theatre Sunday Matinee | 2:30 PM
⛸️ Wascana Centre
Daily — Public skating & cross-country ski trails | High of +3°C Saturday — trails may be slushy. Check wascana.ca for current ice thickness and grooming reports before heading out.
🗳️ This Weekend's Poll
With this much going on — what's your Friday night pick?
🏒 Pats vs. Lethbridge at the Brandt Centre
🎭 Closing weekend of Frozen at the Globe
🎵 Final Fantasy live at Conexus
🎸 Mid-Winter Blues Festival at Darke Hall
Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. Have a fantastic weekend, Regina! There is genuinely no shortage of things to love about this city right now.
🗓️ Next edition: Monday, March 9 - your start-of-week roundup.
-The QCD Team